Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars fans, rejoice! With Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic, you get a complex RPG that sets you back a few thousand years before the Star Wars world we know and love from the movies.

First, gameplay. This is sort of like Baldur's Gate / Morrowind where you wander through the worlds, have various options when talking with people, have a variety of main quests, side quests, minigames and more.

Based on the Star Wars role playing game, your character gains experience, builds skills and even becomes more "good" or "evil" as you go - all based on your actions in the game. There are relatively simple customizations of your character - male or female, soldier - scout - scoundrel. I love RPGs and found this a good mix of character development with not-overly-difficult complexity for those new to RPGs.

The graphics were reasonably good - not as nice as the Splinter Cell games have spoiled me for, but different planets each have their own look and feel, lights glow, smoke fills up corridors. The music of course was great, all the authentic sounds, music and background ambiance that you've come to expect from the Star Wars universe.

Morrowind set an extremely high bar for 'wide open gameplay' and Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic doesn't quite come up to that level. There is definitely a main path to play, and despite varying your 'good' or 'evil' level, a lot of the gameplay is the same. Still, it is so involving, complex and varied that this is still a game that can be replayed and enjoyed!

Well recommended for RPG fans and for anyone who enjoys the Star Wars universe.